1 package of pasta (I love rigatoni, penne, or a tube-like shape to catch the sauce)
1 sweet onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped, include more if you like more garlic)
¾ cup vodka
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tube of red tomato paste (approx. 4-5 oz)
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parm
freshly chopped parsley and oregano if you'd like to garnish
black pepper
olive oil
1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Be liberal with your salting... it should taste like the sea! Once your pot is boiling, add the pasta and cook to al dente (you want a slight bite since you'll cook the pasta more with the sauce).
2Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep skillet or pot. Make sure your pan is hot (high heat) Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stirring and tossing the ingredients until the onion is translucent.
3Add the entire tube of tomato paste, and mix everything together until the tomato turns brick red and cooked. If you see itty bits of browned goodness starting to stick to the pan, you're doing it right.
4Add the vodka to deglaze. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift up the brown bits. Turn down the heat to low.
5Scoop a little bit of the boiling water from your pasta pot, and pour it into a glass with your cream to warm up the cream. Slowly add the mixture into your sauce pot while stirring. The pre-heating method prevents the sauce from breaking.
6Add your cooked pasta directly from the pot to your sauce. No need to drain. You want the starch to continue to stick on the pasta. Grab 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the salted pasta water and slowly add to your sauce. It's okay if it's a little liquidy. Add the parm slowly and alternate between the salted pasta water and parm until desired consistency. You can bring the heat up to medium to help thicken and reduce the liquid.
7Season with more salt and red pepper flakes as needed. Garnish with parm shavings, parsley, and oregano if desired.
Ingredients
1 package of pasta (I love rigatoni, penne, or a tube-like shape to catch the sauce)
1 sweet onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped, include more if you like more garlic)
¾ cup vodka
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tube of red tomato paste (approx. 4-5 oz)
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parm
freshly chopped parsley and oregano if you'd like to garnish
black pepper
olive oil
Directions
1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Be liberal with your salting... it should taste like the sea! Once your pot is boiling, add the pasta and cook to al dente (you want a slight bite since you'll cook the pasta more with the sauce).
2Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep skillet or pot. Make sure your pan is hot (high heat) Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stirring and tossing the ingredients until the onion is translucent.
3Add the entire tube of tomato paste, and mix everything together until the tomato turns brick red and cooked. If you see itty bits of browned goodness starting to stick to the pan, you're doing it right.
4Add the vodka to deglaze. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift up the brown bits. Turn down the heat to low.
5Scoop a little bit of the boiling water from your pasta pot, and pour it into a glass with your cream to warm up the cream. Slowly add the mixture into your sauce pot while stirring. The pre-heating method prevents the sauce from breaking.
6Add your cooked pasta directly from the pot to your sauce. No need to drain. You want the starch to continue to stick on the pasta. Grab 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the salted pasta water and slowly add to your sauce. It's okay if it's a little liquidy. Add the parm slowly and alternate between the salted pasta water and parm until desired consistency. You can bring the heat up to medium to help thicken and reduce the liquid.
7Season with more salt and red pepper flakes as needed. Garnish with parm shavings, parsley, and oregano if desired.
